World's Largest Airplane

Stratolaunch, a California-based aerospace company, has announced the latest successful test of its behemoth airplane called Roc, which released a test version of the company’s Talon-A hypersonic aircraft mid-flight from its center pylon this past weekend.

Stratolaunch conducted the test on Saturday afternoon, during which Roc flew off the coast of California above the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Western Range. Roc spent four hours and eight minutes in the air, while Stratolaunch tested telemetry between the aircraft and Vandenberg Space Force Base, and, more importantly, the plane’s payload separation capabilities.

During the flight, Roc released TA-0, a test version of Stratolaunch’s Talon-A hypersonic aircraft. The company has flown Roc with TA-0 previously, but this is the first time Stratolaunch released the expendable prototype. With this successful test Stratolaunch hopes to begin the first hypersonic flight of another Talon-A testbed—dubbed TA-1—in late summer.

“Today’s test was exceptional,” said Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch CEO and president, in a press release. “It was exhilarating to see TA-0 release safely away from Roc, and I commend our team and partners. Our hardware and data collection systems performed as anticipated, and we now stand at the precipice of achieving hypersonic flight.”   READ MORE...

Stratolaunch, a California-based aerospace company, has announced the latest successful test of its behemoth airplane called Roc, which released a test version of the company’s Talon-A hypersonic aircraft mid-flight from its center pylon this past weekend.



Stratolaunch conducted the test on Saturday afternoon, during which Roc flew off the coast of California above the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Western Range. Roc spent four hours and eight minutes in the air, while Stratolaunch tested telemetry between the aircraft and Vandenberg Space Force Base, and, more importantly, the plane’s payload separation capabilities.

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During the flight, Roc released TA-0, a test version of Stratolaunch’s Talon-A hypersonic aircraft. The company has flown Roc with TA-0 previously, but this is the first time Stratolaunch released the expendable prototype. With this successful test Stratolaunch hopes to begin the first hypersonic flight of another Talon-A testbed—dubbed TA-1—in late summer.



TA-0 shortly after being deployed.Image: Stratolaunch

“Today’s test was exceptional,” said Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch CEO and president, in a press release. “It was exhilarating to see TA-0 release safely away from Roc, and I commend our team and partners. Our hardware and data collection systems performed as anticipated, and we now stand at the precipice of achieving hypersonic flight.”

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Rolls Royce and the Nuclear Reactor Business

First, let’s clear up the car thing: Rolls-Royce the car company is now owned by BMW, which acquired the name and licensing rights from Rolls Royce Holdings in the late 1990s. In other words, the company making an all-electric Spectre that will retail for around $400,000 isn’t dabbling in baby nukes. 

But given that Rolls-Royce Holdings makes stuff like engines for airplanes, and has worked on nuclear reactors aboard British submarines since the early 1950s, producing nuclear reactors isn’t too much of a step outside the mega company’s wheelhouse. It is, though, a well-financed leap into a new area of energy for the company. For its part, Rolls-Royce said international interest in small modular reactors was “unprecedented.”

Some of the money for this new nuclear venture comes from a big U.S. company: Exelon, the largest electric utility in the U.S. and a major producer of nuclear power, which will be partnering with French company BNF Resources to give $260 million to fund the venture over the next three years. 

Much of the rest of the cash will come from the UK government, which is giving $280 million as part of its plan to jumpstart green investment. Rolls-Royce itself will kick in the remaining $70 million or so. The company also said that it will keep looking for investment in the venture.

According to a press release issued by Rolls-Royce, one of the 16 reactors it’s planning to build will take up the space of two football fields—about a tenth of the size of a conventional reactor—while providing enough power for 1 million homes. 

Per the press release, the business will now move on to the preliminary stages of starting production, including identifying factories where it could possibly produce modules for the on-site assembly of the reactors.  READ MORE...